R&D ROI
R&D predictability: The path to profitability
Ron Collett
1/24/2011 7:44 PM EST
Poor schedule predictability of IC development projects is often blamed on unforeseeable events, but this picture is incomplete and inaccurate.
Robotics Developer, Management thrives on data -- it makes decision-making so much easier, because ...
The most important R&D performance metrics
Ron Collett
1/10/2011 7:57 PM EST
If you want to improve your R&D capability, focus on these three metrics: engineering utilization, productivity and throughput.
Hello Peter, Yes, vacation counts in the utilization percentage. (But it has a material impact on ...
Throughput, not productivity, is what matters
Ron Collett
12/13/2010 12:45 PM EST
Semiconductor industry executives are often surprised when I assert that productivity isn't that important, at least as far as R&D performance metrics are concerned.
@jadesbox, You have hit on what I believe is one of the most insidious problems in the ...
Falling IC development productivity means lost engineering jobs
Ron Collett
11/30/2010 6:41 PM EST
Steadily declining IC development productivity means more job losses for engineers in the U.S. and Europe to their less expensive counterparts in second-world economies. And the trend is accelerating as chip design complexity outpaces gains in productivity.
@asicman78: What I would tell engineers in their 30's: gain experience by working in several ...
Facts and data versus heuristics and hope
Ron Collett
11/14/2010 10:45 PM EST
In the next five years, many chip companies will be saddled with underperforming that persistently miss product development schedules.
thank you Ron, agreed...pls pass the info on to executives ;-)
How complex is your chip design?
Ron Collett
11/5/2010 8:06 PM EDT
When planning new IC design projects, such as SoCs or complex analog or RF chips, R&D organizations that have a firm grasp on the complexity of implementing the design wield a powerful competitive advantage.
Ron Collett
10/29/2010 3:36 PM EDT
Everyone says they want to increase their IC development productivity, but what do they really mean by that?
Yeah, I know, meaningless when applied to silicon design. But the managers don't know that.
The rise and fall of productivity
Ron Collett
10/22/2010 1:40 PM EDT
Is IC design productivity rising or falling? It’s a question on the minds of semiconductor executives and R&D managers throughout the industry.
A parable: A certain woman is a diabetic. She is now skilled at working with syringes, and finding ...

